Don't miss the moon ride close to red supergiant star Antares on Aug. 30

An image of a half-lit moon against a dark blue sky, with its right half lit by direct sunlight and its left shrouded in shadow. Dark plains called lunar maria can be seen covering swathes of the lit side and a large cloud dominates the right side of the image.

The half-lit moon will appear to skip past the red star Antares in the constellation Scorpius on the nights surrounding its first quarter phase on Aug. 30-31 this week.

On Aug. 30, skywatchers can spot the nearly half-lit moon hanging a little less than 20 degrees above the southwestern horizon at sunset. Antares will shine as a bright red point of light roughly 5 degrees to the upper left of the waxing moon. Remember, the width of your middle three fingers held at arm's length is the equivalent of 5 degrees in the night sky, while your clenched fist accounts for approximately 10 degrees!